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‘Was Stefan a relationship?’
‘Oh that?’ said Lara, with a twinkle in her eye. ‘That was just sex.’
Alex laughed, shaking his head.
‘You’re incredible, you know that?’
Lara felt goosebumps travel up the length of her arm but she tried to ignore them. Instead she tilted her head to one side.
‘Is that a compliment, Alex Ford?’
‘Might be. Although it’s back to subservience when you’re back in the office. Remember who’s in charge, okay?’
She gave him a friendly tap on the arm, but Alex met her gaze.
‘Seriously Lar, I’m sorry if I ever doubted you and your instincts about the story. After all these years, I should have known better. Just so you know, I won’t make that mistake again.’
‘I’m not coming back to the Chronicle,’ she said quietly. ‘I’m going freelance, going to have a go at doing things my way for a change.’
She had expected surprise, anger, bargaining. Instead Alex just gave her a soft smile.
‘Good for you, Lar. That’s fantastic.’
She didn’t expect him to be so happy for her not coming back onto the team full-time. It disappointed her, but she wasn’t quite sure why.
‘You’d better get back in,’ said Lara, pointing to The Mermaid. ‘You’re supposed to be wooing Le Caché not abandoning him with a packet of Frazzles. Eduardo’s more of a caviar man.’
‘See you back at the office in a couple of hours then?’
‘Sure. It’s a date.’
Lara stayed there for a moment, watching him go back into the pub, breathing in that warm, sweet-smelling air. Then she turned and began a slow walk home, picking up some food from a deli that was still open on the way – sourdough bread, a wedge of good cheese and a packet of dark chocolate Florentines – before heading down Royal Hospital Road, Burton Court to the right, the Royal Hospital to her left. She smiled at a Chelsea Pensioner in his scarlet coat, and he tipped a finger to his hat.
She heard the car behind her before she saw it, the soft purr of an engine that spoke of expense and precision engineering. She stopped and turned, fighting the urge to run.
The car slid to a stop beside her and the window hummed down to reveal a familiar face. Victoria Sachs. The woman raised an eyebrow. ‘Need a lift?’
‘Actually, I’m almost home.’
‘Then I’ll walk with you.’
Victoria climbed out of the car, both feet together in a fluid sideways motion, the sort of thing they used to teach you at finishing school. They strolled along together in silence, the car pacing them at a discreet distance.
‘So your story is out tomorrow?’ asked Victoria finally.
‘Assuming your lawyer isn’t about to leap out of the car and serve me with an injunction.’
Victoria smiled.
‘I think we’ve all had enough drama recently.’
‘Have you spoken to the police?’
‘I have that delight tomorrow.
As they reached the Chelsea Physic Garden, Lara stopped and turned to face the older woman. A gust of wind blew her dark hair away from her face.
‘I should say thank you,’ said Lara. ‘You didn’t have
